River Tubing Safety
Tubing down Iowa’s rivers is a popular summer activity. It’s also potentially dangerous, even deadly. Let’s discuss ways to remain safe while river tubing:
Wear a lifejacket. You should be wearing one at all times while on the water. Most drowning victims weren’t wearing a lifejacket.
Have proper footwear. Good footwear can provide traction when getting in and out of the water or walking in shallow water, helping you keep your balance. It can also protect you if you fall into the water and have to push off any obstacles.
Know the river. Understand the dangers of the river you’re floating. Potential dangers include construction areas on bridges, downed trees, rapids, and low head dams. River conditions, including the river’s current and depth, can change depending upon the time of year and the weather. Obstacles in the water can knock you off your tube or cause you to become pinned or trapped underwater.
Respect the river’s power. Iowa’s major rivers often look lazy and slow. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you’re tubing in a pool. These rivers are immensely powerful, strong enough to carve their channels, rip out trees, provide hydroelectric power, and carry away people in the water. The current’s especially strong in the spring. There may also be a strong undercurrent lurking below the calm surface. Water that’s only up to your ankles can have a strong enough current to knock you over.
Know the water temperature. Especially early in the year, river water can be very cold, much colder than the air temperature. If you choose to go tubing during that time, you should wear protective outer gear to protect you from hypothermia.
Keep your feet downriver. If you end up in the water, keep your feet downriver so you can see where the current’s moving you and you can push off any obstacles.
Don’t try to stand in the river. If you fall off your tube, float on your back and try to swim to the riverbank. If you try to stand, you may become stuck in the riverbed with the current trying to force you down into the water.
Watch the alcohol. Drinking while tubing is common. It’s not the best idea though. Intoxication can slow your reaction time for avoiding obstacles or affect your ability to swim if you fall into the water.
Avoid long ropes. It’s common to to tie things to tubes, but don’t do so with long lengths of rope. Long sections of rope can become snagged on surface or underwater obstacles, causing your tube to capsize.
Use a good tube. There are a lot of cheap tubes, made with cheap material, available. They’re fne for a pool. They’re not fine for a river because they’re easily punctured. Use a good tube made with durable materials so that the tube bounces off objects rather than getting punctured by or impaled on them.
The danger doesn’t end at the waterline. Riverbanks can be unstable, whether dirt or rocks, can be unstable or slippery, especially with wet footwear. You can be hurt in a fall or fall into the river and be swept away by the current.
With all that being said, enjoy your float!